Gary Portelli was a noticeable absentee when his stable’s only runner Bella Vino produced a stunning sprint to win the first at Kembla Grange on Saturday, but the Sydney trainer had a good reason why.
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Portelli had been in Melbourne the night before to see his sprinter Rebel Dane cause one of the boilovers of the season by claiming the Group 1 Manikato Stakes at 60-1 odds.
An early flight back meant Portelli didn’t have time to make it to the South Coast, but the stable still continued in a winning vein in his stead.
Bella Vino, a $1.35 fixed odds favourite, was always in control on the speed and won like the hot-pot she was.
“She looked like she was the winner of this race and it panned out that way,” stable representative Sharon Newby said.
Apprentice Rachel King allowed Bella Vino to roll along in front with Donna Grisedale trained Tribe outside her.
She looked like she was the winner of this race and it panned out that way.
- Sharon Newby
When she turned into the straight, Tribe dropped off and in a small field of four runners, she quickly put a margin on her rivals to salute by three lengths over David Payne’s Smokin’ Valentina ($4.60).
Lauren Davies trained Force The Issue ($17) in third.
